Stronger Alone and Better Forgotten
by nightfall12345
Summary: Hollyeaf races into the tunnels for comfort only finding that she is as alone as she ever was. Pleese R&R
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N **_**I'm still working Lionblaze`s new path but it's going slow and this has been on my mind for a while I'll try to update this one every day or so but with school thing may be slow, please R&R.**

"**I **_can't_** stay here!" **

**Hollyleaf could hear her voice rise to a wail as the spoke, "I know I did the right thing but no cat will ever understand." She couldn't meet her brothers pleading gaze and she turned her head. She could hear the rushing of the water and the collapsing soil that came from the tunnel. The sounds were enough to make her change her mind about what she was about to do, but she couldn`t deal with the distrustful gazes of her clan-mates that once held love and understanding only contained hate and suspicion. **

**It wasn`t their fault! It was Leafpool`s, she lied and deceived her Clan along with her sister that was just as guilty. She turned and fled towards the tunnel entrance her heart thudding in her chest. She could hear Jayfeather's desperate cries as she entered to collapsing hole but didn`t stop, or slow her pace. **

**Almost the second she set foot in the tunnels the roof collapsed swallowing her whole, she ran faster fear clenching her heart like brambles as she could feel the soil and mud just brushing the tip of her tail as it fell from the ceiling. She took and up pert turn sliding on the floor landing on her side.**

**She let out a his as rock broke the skin on her shoulder tearing at her fur leaving some behind. The collapsing mud didn't follow her into this tunnel but water raised with every second overlapping her paws blood dripped into the pool of water. She knew her chances of serving in the tunnels were slim and the fact that they had escaped when they were just apprentices had been one in a million. She trotted along the corridors water still ross higher with each passing moment but her shoulder stung at every paw step. She growled at herself. **

_I got myself into this! _

**She forced herself to move faster lipping occasionally to relive stress from her injury. She lifted her nose trying to scent any means of escaping. She only caught the strong scents of water, soil, and occasional scent of fish that had been swept from the Lake. She turned upwards hoping the water level would lower as she got higher. She raced fast as the water lapped at her belly fur. Hollyleaf`s paws strained to stay up and not slip on the loosened dirt but she continued to slip and fall, the water not yet strong enough to push her away. She ran faster ignoring her own discomfort and pain in flares of panic as she tried tunnel after tunnel. **

**She ran ahead and clawed at a wall with her front claws. Blood started to well from them at she hit rock. "Somebody help me!" she screamed. No one answered her cries. **

**Suddenly the ground beneath her began to slide down the slope next to her carrying her along forcefully throwing her under water. She splashed as she slid further down only getting quick gasp of air. Her lungs began to burn as Hollyleaf tried to push her head out of the water. AS her head burst the surface she took in a massive gulp of air and began sputtering droplets of water out almost forgetting that the water was now carrying her down wards. Would this lead to the river? Either way she did have a choice, she pattered with the water holding her head high. It seemed to go on forever only getting darker and darker as the water grew higher she had to patel harder the water threatening to pull her under.**

_I will NOT die in the wretched place!_

**Her pitch black fur was soaked to the brim and the weight was almost too much. Finally the water burst into an open cave. It pushed her out with so much force she was toppled over rolling under the water like a fish swimming the wrong way. Once she returned to surface she forced herself under once more after a quick breath. This was it if she didn`t hold on long enough then she would drown in these tunnels. She had to get to the other side. She forced open her eyes under the pressure. Darkness clouded all around her. She continued to twist in the water hoping to find light or even better, air. **

**Hollyleaf couldn`t see it but something changed in the way the water threw her. She pushed her stiff leg thrashing until her head was above water. She gulp air enough till her lungs burned, she wanted more air more than she needed but first was first. She pushed towards the shore, her long black fur sticking to her sides. She collapsed on her side her shoulder stinging. She opened her green eyes and looked around. Dawn was just approaching over the mountains, golden rays streaked over the sky. Few stars remained in the sky. Were Starclan watching over her?**

_No… Starclan abandoned you, you're no longer a clan cat you no longer have a place among the stars._

**Hollyleaf knew these were her own thoughts but they still brought pain to her heart. She also knew it was true there was no place for a half clan cat. Her hate for her mother only grew as she thought of it. And her thoughts lead to her father, Crowfeather.**

"_I have no kits!" _

"_You mean nothing to me, nothing!"_

**She bit back a wail she didn`t need family she could be strong on her own, a single warrior. One the clan knew nothing of, her brothers probably told the clans she was dead, she preferred that. With time she would be forgotten, disappearing becoming nothing but a whisper a tale, she was nothing more nothing less than a Forgotten Warrior.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: OK this is a different chapters I don't know what the heck happened to my last two chapters sorry if you were enjoying it.**

**But in a way I'm glad… I went too fast with the last two chapters and now I'll take a whole new approach to this story and hope nothing else gets deleted. OK, read and review and let me know if this is a better chapter. 8) **

**Hollyleaf **gently laid her paws on the cold stone, peaking into the dark tunnel. Only the light from the opening seemed to ease her thudding heart as the darkness consumed the rest of the hole. She still remembered the way the water pushed her around the narrow gaps sending her down with all the sediment. She shook her head pinning her ears back. Was she a mouse? She glared at the mocking black hole a gradually stepped forward lowering her head as the fur between her shoulders rose.

"Stay calm." She whispered to herself. She was on her own if she was scared of the dark then she might as well be dead.

She looked back and refused the erg to turn around and run into the forest leaving the tunnels behind her fear with it, but she pushed on her paws slipped into the other prints she looked down at the embedded prints but the shadows covered them up. Was this the tunnel they used when her and her brothers had to save the kits? She couldn't imagine any cat coming down here for any other reason.

The thought had slipped in her mind before, had her clan mates, other than the WindClan apprentices and them, come into the tunnels or just came upon them? Maybe not they would have reported it to Firestar or Brambleclaw, but they didn't…

Hollyleaf pricked her ears as the sounds of the underground stream rippled off the walls of the caves. She blinked a few times her eye adjusting to the dark. She lilted her head. When she wasn't being thrown around or the stream wasn't flooding it actually look beautiful. The jutting ledges that rose to the ceiling and the way the river lapsed at the sides of the rock. Numerous tunnel exits laid on each opening in the wall. A hole in the roof let the early light flood the cave a send the sand sparkling like gold flecks. She curled her claws around the sand feeling the warmth of the sun climb up her legs to her shoulders. She didn't realize it till she no longer felt the sands golden glow on her black pelt that she was shrinking back into the shadows of the cave, where her fur blended perfectly but her green eyes stood out.

She ignored this and looked around the tunnels she lifted her nose to scent the one she came in. following the scents back to the open moor. This wasn't where she came in. Great StarClan this was just some crazy allusion! Still the excitement of making it out, easier than she normally had, still hung on her pelt. She looked around her eyes slits at the blazing sun. She was on WindClan territory but she could still see the thunderclan scent marker the two scents, Thunder and WindClan were strong so she guessed they had just marked their borders. It was safe to hunt.

Her mouth watered at the thought of a nice plump rabbit. As she slinked across the moor she the smells of Squirrel and rabbit were slashed across the grass. She picked the freshest scent and followed it to a thorn bush. It nibbled on the ting buds. It barely noticed her as she out stretched her forepaws and bit down on the soft part of its neck. She carefully dragged it back a slight bit surprised she hadn't spotted a WindClan patrol. She placed it at the back of her mind like everything else hoping it meant nothing.

She continued to explore the tunnels always ending back in the cave. By the time night came her paws ached and the wound on her shoulder began to sting again. She spun around in the sand a few times before she laid down. The other tunnels around her cast luminous shadows all around. She half accepted someone to walk out of the shadows but it never happened. Still cautious she closed she eyes and her breathing became slow.

"_Hey, over here!" Lionkit squeaked excitement rising in his meow. _

_Hollykit nicked the moss ball with her claw throwing it to her brother. Lionkit reared up on his hind paws ready to catch it. Suddenly Jaykit leaped up catching the moss in his jaws, making Lionkit toppled over._

"_Hey, cheater!" Lionkit growled. Hollykit`s whiskers twitched with amusement. Jaykit expression was blank and he turned toward her when he spoke to Lionkit. "You're not quick enough!" he laughed._

"_Hey, Mouse-brain I`m over hey!" Lionkit said trotting up to Jaykit. Hollykit raced over to him as well._

"_What are you blind?" she asked._

"_No… I never mind hey did Brambleclaw bring back a mouse?" Jaykit asked. Hollykit nodded and they jogged over to the fresh-kill pile. They three looked through the fresh-kill pile. Hollykit jumped as Jaykit let out a yelp of surprise as Squirrelflight picked him up. "What are you doing?" she asked threw the bundle of fur. "We wanted to get a mouse!" she meowed. _

"_No, get on now go play I`ll bring you something later." Their mother meowed. She put Jaykit down who swiped the air playfully his blows in the wrong direction. Hollykit shook her head. _

_The three rushed back to the nursery and Hollykit pushed Lionkit down and jumped on him Jaykit batting at her tail. She laughed, rolling over to Jaykit. _

Hollyleaf looked in disgust at the rotten crow-food, on WindClan territory. She had decided to hunt here because the lack of hunting patrol. She knew something was wrong by the odd scents that followed the cats or the tiny mice or even berries. The foo prints she found were even more interesting. Not lake anything she usually saw but the thought did cross her mind she had seen these in the woods but never this many in one place. She shrugged it off again if it came up again she would investigate but now she had to return to the tunnels. As she slinked across the moor she the strange scents and odd paw prints didn't leave go to the back of her mind instead the jumped to the front.

"Mouse-dung." She spat. She turned around and walked back to the scents. The scent of WindClan was even fresher so she must have just missed a patrol. She lowered herself to the tall grass, hoping to cover some of her black pelt. She could see the patrol just over the rise. A Cat she didn't recognize kept looking behind the patrol of three, anxiously. When he didn't spot anything he turned back to the front. Hollyleaf could see the trouble, the creature, same size as a large cat or small dog, its ringed black and gray tail, and its pointed nose. She sneered raccoons, filthy, sneaky, scavengers, just like rats but worse, With their, five, long claws on each foot, and the pointed teeth that could drill threw wood could inflict some serious damage on a cat. As she looked closer she saw three more raccoons trailing after the cats. These things would eat anything so they were obviously looking for an easy meal from the cats like a small mouse or vole. It was hard to tell but as she raised her head she guessed that WindClan were having a small problem rounding them out of the territory, the bite and scratch marks on the warriors shoulder showed that.

Hollyleaf watched as the raccoons were spotted and the warriors raced after them. The raccoons lumbered quit a bit as they ran away, the warriors soon met up with them. Hollyleaf winched as she saw Gorsetail get a long curved face and as Ashfoot got a gashing wound on his shoulder. The raccoon`s dark red eyes held amusement and the three warriors grouped together and lunged. Hollyleaf turned her head she wished she could do more to help but the clans were meant to do things alone, that's why they trained. She headed back to the tunnels her head low to the ground and her thoughts still on the red beady eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I apologize how long it took me to upload this chapter, my computer is messing up on me… a lot. I also apologize if the next chapter is late to, after that it should all be normal.**

Hollyleaf gave a pained grunt as she hit her leg along the stone wall. Hollyleaf sat down catching her breath and giving her paw a look over. Hollyleaf had decided if she was to stay in the tunnels then she would need to change her tactics. The areas were small and dark it would be difficult to do a full leap without hitting something. She shuffled her paws on the sand stretching her claws out.

Hollyleaf walked to the edge of the river and bent over trying to get a drink. She pulled back the water level had gotten lower and lower, Hollyleaf could see the river shrink every day the rain had not come. Her mouth now felt dry and she felt thirsty. Hollyleaf glanced at one of the unexplored tunnels.

**Should I go that way? **

No, she didn't need to get lost; she could try that way another time. Hollyleaf headed out the tunnel she used most letting her tail trail along the walls as she walked. Hollyleaf entered the open letting the fresh air sweep through her fur. Hollyleaf headed to the lake not far off from where she had come out. Hollyleaf drank the water grateful of the fresh taste.

Her enjoyment didn't last long as Hollyleaf scented a patrol. She crawled under a bramble bush just before Leafpool trotted out into the open. Mousewhisker and Hazeltail right behind her. Hollyleaf suppress a growl of rage as old pains returned to her heart. Leafpool didn't deserve to be in ThunderClan!

"Spread out." Hazeltail ordered. Mousefur crouched by the shore line while Leafpool disappeared into the trees.

Hollyleaf crouched lower as Mousefur crept up on a water vole, enjoying the sun, If she disturbed the prey she would give away her hiding spot. Then the tom pounced and delivered the killing bite. She striated up as he went looking for the rest of the patrol . Quickly she jumped out and raced back to the tunnels, she came to a quick stop as Hollyleaf spotted Leafpool two fox lengths ahead of her stacking a rabbit.

Hollyleaf`s claws slid out, she felt the same erg she had felt when she had killed Ashfur, the gray tom that had threatened to revel their secret to the clans, in the end he had died by her and Hollyleaf had delivered the shocking news to the four clans. Hollyleaf stiffened as Leafpool sniffed the air the fur along her shoulders rising. She had scented her! Now it didn't matter how much noise she made the rabbit ran off and Hollyleaf dived under a bush into the tunnel, she looked out at Leafpool who`s amber eyes shown with pain and longing.

"Hollyleaf?" She gasped. Did Leafpool think she had died and gone to StarClan only to try to reach her again? The last cat Hollyleaf would want to see was Leafpool.

Hollyleaf pushed down her pity for the cat in front of her, a look a deep regret that seemed to relate to Hollyleaf.

"I`m sorry my daughter, I`m so Sorry Please talk to me…" there was a hint of a wail in Leafpool`s voice. Hollyleaf dismissed it. "I never meant for any of this to happen."

_Of course not._

_H_ollyleaf turned and headed back down the dark stony path leaving her depressed mother talking to herself.

Hollyleaf leveled her tail, trailing along the long uncut, untamed grass. Hollyleaf was behind Thunder clan, she had decided the long grass gave her cover and obviously held many mice and few rabbits.

Hollyleaf gradually dragged the two mice she had caught back to the tunnels. Hollyleaf paused, catching the scent of Minnow. Hollyleaf looked around and sure enough saw the tiny silver fish eaten, laying by the entrance to the tunnel. Raccoon paw prints lead to the hole but she could tell they hadn't entered.

Hollyleaf shivered at the thought of one of the vile creatures lurking in her home. She paused did she really think of the tunnels that way as her home? She hadn't thought of it. Hollyleaf always felt her heart lay at thunderclan with her family. But she was gone now and had no real connection to her family, did that mean she no longer had a home in her clan, that's what usually kept her going thinking one day she might return to her home, or to ThunderClan. She no longer knew how to label her past or present living area. She sighed like most things it could wait she knew she wasn't returning to her home anytime soon.

Will, after all this time trying to stay alive, I die in the tunnels?

She shuttered at the thought of the water breaking into her lungs and driving the oxygen out until she could no longer hold on.

Hollyleaf buried her prey biting into a single mouse before she headed back into the tunnel. Hollyleaf treaded along the regular path, suddenly Hollyleaf heard a slight growling sound. The noise bounced off the walls echoing along them.

Hollyleaf looked left and right, her ears back and the fur along her spine rising. Something was in the tunnels with her; the ting speck of safety she felt in the tunnels vanished completely. Her thoughts lingered on the fact that some creature, fox, badger, or even another cat came to seek refuge her as she did, Hollyleaf couldn't allow that. The risk of being found out was to great, Hollyleaf could only imagine the way it would play out. First surprise, then anger, and the last part was unpredictable.

Reluctantly Hollyleaf lifted one paw after another in search of the source of the noise; the noise grew with each step louder and louder only decreeing when she took a wrong turn. Then a rank hit her nose and her face contorted in disgust, at the scent of dead fish, mice and other small, easy to catch things.

Hollyleaf`s green eyes became small slits and she curled her lips in a snarl, her fur fluffed up defensively.

The raccoons have entered the tunnels.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Again sorry how late this is but hopefully I`ll have more time to write more chapters for those who are still reading, and I know I`ve said this a lot but… Please review thank you!**

Hollyleaf felt panic rush all threw her dark fur and under her skin as she thought of the vile little scavengers.

She plainly remembered that there were three of them large, bulky, and hungry. Hollyleaf swallowed her fear and made her limbs move till the scent of the raccoons grew stronger along the corridors. Hollyleaf crouched as she heard the scuffling of the creatures not far ahead. She would have to be careful, like her they too were used to the dark and could detect her easily if she made a mistake. Hollyleaf felt the same calming sensation as her pads slipped into the imprints left long ago.

As Hollyleaf lifted her head, any hope of chasing the raccoons off vanished as a new wave of fear and dread washed over her. They were half her size; no wonder WindClan had trouble keeping their prey from these things! She might not have been so afraid if it was just the bushy fur making them look larger but their fur was low and sleek. It was all strength.

_I can't fight them! _She thought .

Thoughts wailed inside her head as she crept back and not till she was at a distance did she turn and flee. Anger seethed within her stomach.

_What happened to the brave and strong Warrior you used to be? _

She was being torn apart half of her mind said this while the other half said that.

_She died when she ran into the tunnels! She argued._

_The real Hollyleaf would make a plan think of what she learned and use it to save her life. _

Her fast pace slowed to a trot as she thought. It was true, and either way it didn't matter there were only two options. 1: Leave the tunnels, like ThunderClan, and go where? 2: fight, but these creatures packed enough force to strike once and kill her. She suddenly stopped and thought. She knew something exactly like that! It had killed one of her clan-mate and did it in one easy bite. Snake.

"But how am I supposed to lead a snake into the tunnels?" She asked herself out loud.

Maybe the answer wasn't the Snake itself but the think they tried to kill it with. Death berries! Her heart leapt, she was not only going to save her home but help WindClan as well! That fact shouldn't make her happy but there were good cats in that clan, just because she hated Crowfeather didn't mean she shouldn't help out a clan in need. Besides this was more for her than them, if the Raccoons thought they could live in peace they were wrong!

She would need someplace to hide them; the raccoons weren't just going to swallow the berries.

She could hide them in a Crawdad, they loved those things. Hollyleaf trotted to the lake shore hoping to get all of _**"this" **_over with as soon as possible. The sooner the better .

She crawled along in the shadows keeping out of sight even if there was no one around. The forest held the scent of warm green leaf air , a hawk soared over head, it`s feathers tilting and turning gracefully so that it stayed in the air, the grass gave a glowing green tint as the sun reflected off the blades.

Hollyleaf`s heart swelled as she smelled the sweet honey aroma of the lily flowers. The pink flowers were enough to push the memories of being an apprentice to the front of her mind, training to be the best she could be. She could remember Barkenfur, her old mentor, giving helpful advice to her as she weaseled around with Berrynose, or Cinderheart.

Hollyleaf finial came to the lake shore the clear-blue water lapping gently at the gray stones and pebbles and just brushing the golden sand, that was eliminated by the sun`s hot rays. ThunderClan scents were over powered by the scents of the lake. Pushing the scent of fish, water, and reeds towards her.

She paddled to the water edge, the water line was lower than usual but Hollyleaf pushed it to the back of her mind. She gazed down at the water looking for the tiny pincer creatures, minnows swan from side to side, could she hide death berries in the tiny fish? Then she saw the crawdad , Hollyleaf`s paw darted out by instinct wrapping around the tiny body like she did in the forest. Just as she pulled it from the water it slid from her paw back into the water darting to safety of a rock.

"Fox-dung," she hissed reaching under the rock. She withdrew it as a sudden pain came from her paw.

"OW!" The crawdad had griped her paw. She shook it madly trying to get it to let go. Hollyleaf tried grabbing it with her jaws but the stubborn thing snapped at her with its other pincer.

"Just die," She growled. "You're just delaying the inevitable!" finally it let go and landed on the rocks on its back. Before it could move Hollyleaf killed it swiftly avoiding the pest`s weapons. She gazed down at the body and let out a disdainful grunt, only two more to go.

Hollyleaf trekked tiredly along the ShadowClan border the three crawdads hanging in her jaws. Her head low, Hollyleaf let out a depressed sigh. It had taken the rest of the afternoon to find the next two crawdads, they hid well and put up and much of a fight as the first one. Her paw was still sore from the contact it had with the pincer.

Suddenly Hollyleaf swerved her ears , hearing the faint sounds of paw steps from both side. She made a dash to a thorn bush that curved around a large oak trunk. She only had to wait a few moments before two patrols, one ShadowClan the other ThunderClan, to arrive.

A ShadowClan apprentice growled at the sight of the ThunderClan patrol that held Graystripe, Lionblaze, Sandstorm, Berrynose and whitewing. Hollyleaf didn't recognize the two shadowclan cats but notice one of the apprentices'` as Dawnpaw and a warrior as Rowanclaw.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Rowanclaw hissed coming up to the border. Lionblaze fluffed up his fur.

"Last time I checked this is our side of the border and we can go where ever we like!

Dawnpaw smirked, "Your Still here?" She stepped beside her clan mates. "After what happened at the gathering I was sure Firestar would throw out you and your half-clan abominations."

Lionblaze walked forward till he was right on the border. "Lionblaze, back." Graystripe growled all the gray warriors anger clearly directed to the ShadowClan cats.

"Since when did ShadowClan start letting it`s apprentices fight a warriors battle." Berrynose smirked.

Lionblaze backed up beside the cream-colored warrior. "Apprentices know their place this," He nodded to Dawnpaw. "Is a kit."

Berrynose nodded his agreement and the delight in his eyes increased when he saw the ShadowClan cats heard them. They quickly marked the border and left Berrynose stopped and glared at the cats across the border. "Stay on you own side."

"Berrynose!"

The tom hurried away at Graystripe`s yowl and soon the other patrol vanished as well.

Hollyleaf growled she should have been the one backing her brother up but she was hiding here , like a coward.


End file.
